Guard for water-gages.



-No. 635,565. Patented Oct. 24, |899. R. S. MEARS.

GUARD FOR WATER GAGES.

(Application mea June 1s, ieee.)

'(No Model.)

Fries.

PATENT ROBERT S. MEARS, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

GUARD FOR WATER-GAG ES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,565, dated October 24, 1899.

Application filed Tune 18, 1898.

T0 all whom it ntcty concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. vManns, of Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas,have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Guards for Water- Gages, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus which is used to indicate the level of the water in steam-boilers and which is known technically as a water-gage, and particularly to the means for protecting an operator from injury due to the explosion and breaking of the glass which forms the gage proper.

The principal object of my invention is to provide simple, economical, 'and efficient means for protecting an operator from injury due to the bursting of a water-gage glass; and the invention consists in the features,

combinations, and details of construction.

hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a water-gage and guard constructed and arranged in accordance with my improvements; Fig. 2, a rear elevation of the guard removed from the gage; and Figs. 3 and 4 transverse sectional plan views taken on lines 3 and 4 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that the use of glass watergages in connection with steam-boilers is essential in order that the fireman and engineer may be informed at all times of the approximate level of the water in the boiler. It is also well known that these water-glasses, as' they are termed, are liable to disruption, and consequently cause explosion, so that oftentimes an operator or other person in the vicinity of these glasses is liable to injury. Especially is this true when such gage-glasses are used in connection with locomotive steamboilers, where it is absolutely necessary for the engineer and reman to be at all times in the close vicinity of the glasses, and there have been occasions where serious injury, such as the loss of an eye, has resulted therefrom. It is therefore necessary that some means be provided for protecting the men from injury caused by the bursting of these glasses.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a screen-gage for a water- Serial No. 683,782. (No model.)

glass which will enable the engineer and iireman at all times to observe the exact level of the water in the boiler and at the same time protect them from injurious results due to bursting.

Other objects of the invention will appear from an examination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

In -using a water-glass gage in connection with my improvements I use the ordinary gage, consisting of two gage;cocks A and A and which are connected with the water-space of the boiler by means of the threaded ends a and a. The gage-cocks are provided with stuffing-boxes B and B', between and in which the water-glass O is inserted, so as to prevent it from leaking.

It is well known that it is necessary to provide adjustable holding means to compensate for differences in length and slight differences in diameter of the glasses, and, further, thatV during adjustments the glass is liable to fracture,.and thereby cause explosions. vIn order to protect the operator from injury during such explosions, I provide a guard and secure it in position as hereinafter described.

To protect the operator, I use a wire-mesh screen-guard D of sufficient open-work for the water-glass to be seen easily through the same. This wire mesh guard is bent, as shown in Fig. 4, in a U-shaped manner and provided with lnetallic strips cland d at the lateral edges and ends, which act to more effectu'ally -secure it in place. As shown in Figs. l and 2, the guard is bent around the front and side portions of the glass. It is often desirable and necessary that this guard be made and arranged so that it may be adjusted to accommodate the different positions of the glasses. In order to adjustably secure it in position, I provide a metallic base-plate E, arranged at the back of the glass and between the gage-cocks and provide it with supporting stiffening rods or wires e, arranged at the lateral edges of the back plate and projeoting from the ends thereof. These rods serve as reinforcements to the back plate and as the means to assist in securing it to the gage. The securing means are of a flexible nature to accommodate the adjustment of the parts and provide for irregularities, and consist of two metallic springs G and G', ar-

loo

ranged at or near each end of the supportingrods, which have portions g bent around the threaded portion of the stuffing-boxes, as shown particularly in Figs. l and 3, so that they may have a slight vertical movement thereon and at the same time securely hold all the parts in position.

rTo secure the parts together, the lateral 4strips d of the screen are provided With inwardly-projecting edges d2, as shown particularly in Figs. 2, 3, andv 4, and with lugs d3, both of which parts form channels or recesses adapted to spa-n the round lateral edges of the back plate, as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4. The screen-strips are also provided with knobs or handles H, arranged in suitable position to assist in raising or lowering the parts. The strips d are U-shaped in plan View and, as noted, are formed of metal which is elastic in its nature and acts as a spring to hold the lateral edges which contain the angular strips d2 and lug d3 in engagement with the lateral edgesl of the back plate, so that the knobs I-I may be grasped and the screen sprung apart and removed from contact with the back part, all of Which is very simple and efficient in that this screen can be put in place or removed Without disturbing any of the other mechanisms.

It Will be seen from the foregoing description of construction and operation that the guard may be slipped up and down on the back plate, so as to permit tightening the nuts on the glass, Without necessitating the removal of any portion of the mechanism from connection With the Water-gage. It Will also be seen `that the back plate has a slight vertical play, as also have the spring-grips, to permit of a slight adjustment of the nuts on the stufng-boxes.

The principal advantages due to the use of a guard and gage constructed in accordance with my improvements are that it is simple to understand, economical to construct, and eiiicient in use, in that it protects the operator and at the same time enables him to determine the exact level of the Water in the boiler.

I claiml. In a Water-gage, the combination of a Water-glass,a metallic open-Work screen made from a single continuous piece of material the full length of the glass and bent to `form a front and sides encircling the front and sides of the glass, and a back plate having adj ustably secured thereto the lateral rear edges of the screen for adjusting the screen in relation to the glass, substantially as described.

2. In a water-gage, the combination of upper and lower gage-cocks, and a Water-glass arranged between and inserted in the same, a guard composed of a portion arranged back of the water-glass and secured to the gage at or near each end thereof, a U-shaped screen bent around the front portion of the gage and provided with an angular strip at each of its lateral edges and lugs forming with the angular strip channels to engage With the lat-- eral edges of the back portion, and springs d secured to the lateral strips of the screen for the purpose of holding the screen removably in engagement With the back plate, substantially as described.

3. In a Water-gage, the combination of a Water-glass, upper and lower gage-cocks between and to which the Water-glass is secured, an open-Work screen or guard consisting of a single continuous piece of material the full length of the Water-glass, a frame for the ends and rear edges of the screen or guard, a metallic base-plate at the rear of the water-glass and located between the gagecocks, a spring-clasp at each end of the baseplate securing the base-plate to the gage and means for attaching the screen at or near its lateral edges to the base-plate, substantially as described.

4:. In a Water-gage, the combination of upper and lower gage-cocks, a Water-glass located between the gage-cocks and secured thereto, a screen or guard consisting of a single continuous piece of material the full length of the glass, a frame for the ends and rear lateral edges of the screen or guard, a base-plate at the rear of the glass and between the gage-cocks, rod-like projections exscribed.

\ ROBERT S'. MEARS.

Witnesses: EUGENE PURDFEILD,

JOHN MILEHAM.

ICO 

